Asking for Open Graph app permissions: Involver shares best practices following success of Ad Meter campaign

Social marketing platform Involver found that integrating Open Graph to let users share their app activity with friends led to a 20 percent viral boost for the USA Today Ad Meter application.

The app, which presented users with a number of Super Bowl commercials to watch and rate, asked for permissions up front and then shared users’ actions seamlessly, rather than disrupting the experience with frequent prompts to share. The Ad Meter, which was the first large-scale marketing campaign to use this new type of sharing, had 11 percent of users opt in and authorize Open Graph publishing. Even with a small proportion of users enabling automatic sharing, the app significantly increased its reach.

Involver says two million video views were driven directly from the app, but another 200,000 views came as the result of people seeing their friends’ “watched” or “rated” actions in News Feed. The Ad Meter had 120 additional users for every 100 pieces of content shared from the app. Overall the app reached more than 6 million unique users through News Feed, Facebook tabs, USAToday.com and mobile devices.

Involver VP of Marketing Roland Smart says the results prove the value of integrating Open Graph. He says there are several best practices developers should implement in order to increase the number of users allowing Open Graph permissions and to maximize the reach of a campaign. We have outlined his key points and provided a look at the Ad Meter user flow below. The full Ad Meter case study is available here.

1. Do not ask for permissions until proving some value.

2. Use images and a clear call to action to give users an idea of what they’ll gain by granting permissions. For example, offer transparent views of content or sample content that will be revealed after authorizing the app. Once users understand the experience, they are more likely to accept the permissions.

3. Always offer an alternative experience for users who do not authorize the app. This will keep users engaged and can provide opportunities for authorization later.

4. Use the “persistent ask” or “intermittent ask” methods. With the persistent ask, a call to action stays in view so that users can decide at any time to authorize the app. Typically, the placement is unobtrusive and near an area where authorization will improve the user experience. With the intermittent ask, the call to action is removed if a user does not opt in within a set time period but it is resurfaced after a user has engaged further with the app. This can be successful in converting users since it provides a greater sense of urgency.

5. Do not ask for more permissions than necessary to provide the intended experience. Group permissions so that users only have to authorize the app once.

6. Thank users for authorizing the application and be clear about how their activity is being shared throughout the experience.

Read more about Open Graph and how it can enhance a marketing campaign here.

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